Should you stay or should you go? ETX realtor offers housing tips

According to the Texas Association of Realtors, the Texas real estate market is starting to return to pre-recession levels.

The strength of the market depends on where you live in East Texas, but the good news is that, across the board, the housing market is starting to bounce back after a couple of tough years.

One realtor said that's because the prices in East Texas weren't so inflated to begin with.

"East Texas did not escalate prices so much to fall hard when the crash came, so we were lucky in that aspect. And there's still great deals out there," said Jonathan Wolf, a REMAX realtor in Tyler.

Wolf says that on average, people are now staying in their homes anywhere from 5 to 10 years before they sell. Before the recession, homeowners typically sold after 3 to 5 years.

"People are going to stay in their houses a little bit longer -- come in and paint, make some repairs, and just enjoy what they have and try to gain equity out of their house," Wolf said.

But if you are ready to sell, Wolf said you can prioritize where to make big repairs that might help sell your home faster.

"If I was going to make the call and started with the first room to really make better in my house, I would use the kitchen," he said.

The owners of the home Wolf was showing in Tyler installed a new slate floor, upgraded their appliances and painted the walls and cabinets.

Megan Adcock and her husband recently remodeled the kitchen of the home they're about to move out of, but she said that's not the only reason the house sold.

"We knew we bought in a good location, inside the loop, great school districts. Really nothing needed to be done to our house in terms of a new buyer trying to make changes to it, so we felt like we kind of had something that was really marketable size-wise and condition-wise to a lot of people," she said.

And one of the first things that mattered to Adcock, both as a buyer and seller, was the appearance of the home.

"Basics are, it's got to be clean. We have two kids, so keeping things picked up is always a challenge. People say, oh, don't worry about how it looks, but you do want for the first impression to be good," said Adcock.

According to Wolf, it's really important to take the extra time, and maybe the extra money, to make sure your home looks great. Take the time to spruce up the paint and make any minor repairs that will enhance the value of your home.

Homes typically stay on the market for approximately 100 days, but the Adcocks' home sold after only three weeks, thanks in part, they say, to its appearance and the investments they had made in terms of renovations and repairs.

Bullard is ready to compete for a playoff spot in the District of Doom.

Once again, we are giving you two Red Zone rundowns for the price of one. Just like in Lindale, the Bullard players are learning a new head coach during fall camp. East Texas native Scott Callaway is now in charge of the Panthers program.

Once again, we are giving you two Red Zone rundowns for the price of one. Just like in Lindale, the Bullard players are learning a new head coach during fall camp. East Texas native Scott Callaway is now in charge of the Panthers program.

With the smallest enrollment in District 17-5A, and really across the entire classification, Lindale could use that as an excuse for a sub-par season. But under defensive coordinator, turned head coach Chris Cochran, that won't be the case.

With the smallest enrollment in District 17-5A, and really across the entire classification, Lindale could use that as an excuse for a sub-par season. But under defensive coordinator, turned head coach Chris Cochran, that won't be the case.

"A lot of people thought tonight was about peaceful protesters countering something," event speaker DG Montalvo said. "But it wasn't. It was about getting together and encouraging each other without ideology."

"A lot of people thought tonight was about peaceful protesters countering something," event speaker DG Montalvo said. "But it wasn't. It was about getting together and encouraging each other without ideology."